Apparatus and method for dispensing paper toweling from a roll of paper toweling

Abstract

Dispenser apparatus for dispensing paper toweling from a roll of paper toweling includes a paper toweling feed roller and a guide partially surrounding the feed roller having a curved guide surface spaced from the paper toweling feed roller. The feed roller and the guide form a curved passageway through which paper toweling passes during transport from a roll of paper toweling to a location external of the dispenser housing. Automatic transfer to a full roll of paper toweling takes place upon depletion of another roll.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. Dispenser apparatus for dispensing paper toweling from a roll of paper toweling having two opposed sides and a lead end, said dispenser apparatus comprising, in combination: 
       a dispenser housing defining a housing interior accommodating a roll of paper toweling therein, said paper toweling having two opposed sides and a lead end;  
       a paper toweling feed roller rotatably mounted relative to said dispenser housing having a cylindrically-shaped outer peripheral roller surface free of paper toweling engageable sprocket projections supporting said paper toweling and frictionally engaging one of the sides of said paper toweling adjacent to the lead end of the paper toweling with the lead end unsupported for transporting said paper toweling toward a location external of said dispenser housing without passing said paper toweling through a compressive nip and without tensioning the paper toweling between the paper toweling feed roller and the unsupported lead end of the paper toweling upon rotation of said paper toweling feed roller due solely to frictional engagement between said paper toweling feed roller and the side of said paper toweling engaged thereby, and said paper toweling feed roller comprising the sole means for transporting said paper toweling, no portion of said paper toweling feed roller extending through the paper toweling and said paper toweling feed roller operable to push the paper toweling to locate the unsupported paper toweling lead end at said location external of said dispenser housing;  
       actuator means operatively associated with said paper toweling feed roller to rotate said paper toweling feed roller; and  
       a paper toweling guide having a curved, smooth guide surface fixedly spaced a predetermined distance from said paper toweling feed roller and not engaging said paper toweling feed roller, said paper toweling guide partially surrounding the cylindrically-shaped outer peripheral roller surface of said paper toweling feed roller and extending lengthwise along said cylindrically-shaped outer peripheral roller surface, and said curved, smooth guide surface and said outer peripheral roller surface defining therebetween a unobstructed curved passageway through which said paper toweling passes during transport thereof solely by said paper toweling feed roller from said roll of paper toweling toward said location external of said dispenser housing, said curved, smooth guide surface and said paper toweling feed roller being spaced apart a distance exceeding the thickness of said paper toweling whereby said paper toweling is uncompressed by said paper toweling guide and said paper toweling feed roller when passing through said curved passageway and whereby passage of said paper toweling through said curved passageway is unimpeded by said paper toweling guide, said curved, smooth guide surface of said paper toweling guide engageable with the side of the paper toweling opposed to said paper toweling feed roller without applying frictional forces thereto exceeding the frictional forces exerted on said paper toweling by said paper toweling feed roller when said paper toweling is being transported by said paper toweling feed roller to maintain the paper toweling in contact with the paper toweling feed roller.  
     
     
       2. The dispenser apparatus according to claim  1  wherein said curved guide surface has a generally semi-cylindrical configuration. 
     
     
       3. The dispenser according to claim  2  wherein said curved guide surface and said paper toweling feed roller are coaxial. 
     
     
       4. The dispenser apparatus according to claim  1  wherein said paper toweling feed roller includes an outer roller portion formed of soft resilient material. 
     
     
       5. The dispenser apparatus according to claim  1  wherein said housing interior is for accommodating both a primary roll and a reserve roll of paper toweling, said curved guide surface and said paper toweling feed roller being spaced apart a distance exceeding the combined thicknesses of paper toweling from both a primary roll and a reserve roll within said housing interior whereby a lead end of paper toweling from said reserve roll may be positioned between said curved guide surface and paper toweling from said primary roll that is in engagement with the outer peripheral roller surface of said paper toweling feed roller, with the paper toweling from both said primary roll and said reserve roll in said curved passageway being uncompressed by said paper toweling guide and said paper toweling feed roller. 
     
     
       6. The dispenser apparatus according to claim  5  wherein the static coefficient of friction between the paper toweling from said primary roll and said paper toweling feed roller exceeds the static coefficient of friction between the paper toweling from said primary roll and the paper toweling from said reserve roll, said paper toweling feed roller being operable to frictionally engage the paper toweling from said reserve roll and to transport the paper toweling from said reserve roll upon rotation of said paper toweling feed roller in response to and only after transport and removal of the paper toweling from said primary roll from between said paper toweling feed roller and the paper toweling from said reserve roll. 
     
     
       7. The dispenser apparatus according to claim  5  additionally including a roll support positioned adjacent to said paper toweling feed roller to support said reserve roll above said primary roll. 
     
     
       8. The dispenser apparatus according to claim  7  wherein said roll support has an upwardly directed, curved roll support surface, said roll support being pivotally connected to said dispenser housing. 
     
     
       9. The dispenser apparatus according to claim  8  wherein said roll support is spaced from said paper toweling feed roller to allow passage therebetween of paper toweling from said primary roll. 
     
     
       10. The dispenser apparatus according to claim  1  wherein said curved guide surface is generally uniformly spaced from said paper toweling feed roller. 
     
     
       11. The dispenser apparatus according to claim  1  wherein said paper toweling guide extends substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of said paper toweling feed roller. 
     
     
       12. The dispenser apparatus according to claim  11  wherein said curved guide surface extends substantially the full length of said paper toweling feed roller. 
     
     
       13. The dispenser apparatus according to claim  1  wherein said dispenser housing includes two relatively movable housing portions, said paper toweling feed roller being rotatably mounted on one of said portions and said paper toweling guide being mounted on the other of said portions, said housing portions being relatively movable between a first housing configuration jointly formed thereby wherein said paper toweling guide is closely adjacent to said paper toweling feed roller and a second housing configuration jointly formed thereby wherein said paper toweling guide is withdrawn from said paper toweling feed roller and not closely adjacent thereto. 
     
     
       14. The dispenser apparatus according to claim  13  wherein one of said housing portions comprises a dispenser cabinet body and wherein the other of said housing portions comprises a cover mounted for pivotal movement relative to said dispenser cabinet body. 
     
     
       15. The dispenser apparatus according to claim  13  additionally comprising stop means for engaging said paper toweling guide when said housing portions jointly form said first housing configuration to maintain a fixed predetermined distance between said paper toweling guide and said paper toweling feed roller. 
     
     
       16. A method of dispensing paper toweling from a roll of paper toweling, said method comprising the steps of: 
       supporting a first roll of paper toweling at a first location spaced from a rotatable paper toweling feed roller;  
       positioning a paper toweling guide member having a curved guide surface at a second location spaced from said rotatable paper toweling feed roller to form therebetween an unobstructed curved passageway;  
       maintaining said paper toweling guide member at said second location to maintain a fixed distance between said curved guide surface and said rotatable paper toweling feed roller, said fixed distance exceeding the thickness of said paper toweling;  
       placing paper toweling from said first roll of paper toweling into contact with the rotatable paper toweling feed roller in said curved passageway;  
       rotating said paper toweling feed roller while said paper toweling is in contact therewith to transport said paper toweling through said curved passageway while not compressing said paper toweling in said curved passageway, said paper toweling feed roller providing the sole means of transport of said paper toweling and said paper toweling not passing through a compressive nip while in contact with said rotatable paper toweling feed roller;  
       guiding said paper toweling with said paper toweling guide member to maintain said paper toweling partially wrapped about and in frictional engagement with said paper toweling feed roller while said paper toweling is in said curved passageway;  
       after a segment of said paper toweling has been transported solely by said paper toweling feed roller through said curved passageway, separating said segment from the remainder of said paper toweling;  
       supporting a second roll of paper at a third location spaced from said rotatable paper toweling feed roller;  
       positioning a leading end of paper toweling from said second roll of paper toweling into said curved passageway between the curved guide surface and the paper toweling from said first roll of paper toweling; and  
       maintaining the paper toweling from both said first and second rolls in an uncompressed state while in said curved passageway.  
     
     
       17. The method according to claim  16  including the step of while maintaining the curved passageway free of obstruction, bringing the paper toweling from said second roll of paper toweling into frictional engagement with said rotatable paper toweling feed roller after rotation of said rotatable paper toweling feed roller has transported substantially all of the paper toweling from said first roll of paper toweling through said curved passageway by withdrawing the paper toweling from said first roll of paper toweling from between said rotatable paper toweling feed roller and the paper toweling from said second roll of paper toweling while the paper toweling from said second roll of toweling is immobile. 
     
     
       18. The method according to claim  17  including the step of rotating said rotatable paper toweling feed roller to transport the paper toweling from said second roll of paper toweling through said curved passageway due solely to frictional engagement therebetween after the paper toweling from said second roll of paper toweling has been brought into frictional engagement with said rotatable paper toweling feed roller. 
     
     
       19. A method of dispensing paper toweling from a roll of paper toweling, said paper toweling having two opposed sides and a lead end, said method comprising the steps of: 
       supporting a first roll of paper toweling at a first location spaced from the outer peripheral surface of a rotatable paper toweling feed roller, said outer peripheral surface being free of paper toweling engageable sprocket projections;  
       positioning a paper toweling guide member having a curved, smooth guide surface at a second location with the curved, smooth guide surface spaced a fixed distance from said rotatable paper toweling feed roller to form an unobstructed curved passageway therebetween, said fixed distance exceeding the thickness of said paper toweling;  
       maintaining said paper toweling guide member at said second location to maintain said fixed distance between said curved, smooth guide surface and said rotatable paper toweling feed roller;  
       placing one of the sides of paper toweling from said first roll of paper toweling into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the rotatable paper toweling feed roller in said curved passageway;  
       supporting said paper toweling on the outer peripheral surface of the rotatable paper towel feed roller at a location on said paper toweling adjacent to the lead end thereof while maintaining the lead end unsupported and free for manual grasping;  
       rotating said paper toweling feed roller while said paper toweling is supported thereby and one of the sides of said paper toweling is in contact therewith to transport said paper toweling through said curved passageway while not compressing said paper toweling in said curved passageway, frictional engagement between the outer peripheral surface of said paper toweling feed roller and one of the sides of the paper toweling providing the sole means of transport of said paper toweling, said paper toweling feed roller not passing through the paper toweling and said paper toweling not passing through a compressive nip while in contact with said rotatable paper toweling feed roller;  
       pushing the unsupported lead end of the paper toweling to a desired location during transport of said paper toweling by said paper toweling feed roller while maintaining the paper toweling free of tension between the paper toweling feed roller and the unsupported lead end of the paper toweling;  
       guiding said paper toweling with said paper toweling guide member to maintain one of the sides of said paper toweling partially wrapped about and in frictional engagement with the outer peripheral surface of said paper toweling feed roller while said paper toweling is in said curved passageway;  
       during said guiding sep, maintaining any frictional forces applied to said paper toweling by said paper toweling guide member below the level of the frictional forces applied to the paper toweling by said paper toweling feed roller whereby passage of said paper toweling through said curved passageway will not be impeded by said paper toweling guide member; and  
       after a segment of said paper toweling has been transported solely by said paper toweling feed roller through said curved passageway and the paper toweling feed roller has pushed the paper toweling to position the unsupported lead end of the paper toweling a distance from the paper toweling feed roller and the paper toweling guide member, separating said segment from the remainder of said paper toweling.  
     
     
       20. The method according to claim  19  including the additional steps of supporting a second roll of paper at a third location spaced from said rotatable paper toweling feed roller, positioning a leading end of paper toweling from said second roll of paper toweling into said curved passageway between the curved guide surface and the paper toweling from said first roll of paper toweling, and maintaining the paper toweling from both said first and second rolls in an uncompressed state while in said curved passageway.